


Young Hearts Dream High

by moeblobmegane



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chinen is a kid, Kid Fic, M/M, Yuto is his dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4911694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moeblobmegane/pseuds/moeblobmegane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuto comes home to his son and his babysitter dancing to <i>Love So Sweet</i> in front of a camera.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Young Hearts Dream High

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [nightbaron079](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightbaron079/pseuds/nightbaron079) in the [chinentheplotdriver2015](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/chinentheplotdriver2015) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
> Single Dads AU! Chinen can either be  
> (a) Yuto's kid and Yamada the babysitter  
> (b) the random matchmaker friend/convenient babysitter of Yamada and Yuto's respective children (Hikaru and Inoo can be their kids, or anyone else you like, go wild)
> 
> You're welcome.
> 
> \--
> 
> I went with the first one, because it kinda jumped at me and needed to be written. (But I really liked the second prompt too augh this was a difficult decision.)

Yuto's work as a banker puts him in different places and makes him work long hours, which makes his life as a single-parent even more harder. The thing is, though, Raiya is willing to babysit for him as much as possible and their parents love Yuri so much and wants to spoil him all the time. Yuto has a good support system in the neighborhood, one that allows him to be at work most of the day and not worry about his son.

However, and this is where it gets complicated, his work also asks for him to move places sometimes. And he could say no, really, he  _could_ , they would understand his predicament, but he's a naturally ambitious person, and he  _wants_ the promotion. Besides, it's  _Tokyo_ , surely there are multitude of daycare centers and babysitters there. He could cope.

\- - -

"Hello," Yuto greets as he opened the door to see a young man on his doorsteps. A really  _handsome_ man, wearing comfy-looking black sweatpants and a maroon shirt that had a rainbow on it. "Um, is there-"

The man smiles brightly, his eyes crinkling at the sides. He's really cute. His brown hair looks soft and- "Hi!" He waves a hand awkwardly, biting his pink lips. It probably shouldn't look this good. "I'm Ryosuke? Yamada Ryosuke, your babysitter. Or- well, your son's... babysitter? I mean, I won't babysit _you._ So _._ " He laughs, cheeks reddening. "Sorry, you're just-" He shakes his head and clears his throat before offering his hand. "I'm Yamada Ryosuke, Yuri-chan's new babysitter."

Yuto resists the really stupid urge to pinch his cheeks. "Oh! Yeah, nice to meet you!" He opens the door further and lets him in. At the corner of his eyes, he sees Yuri sitting on the bottom of the stairs, smiling widely up at them. His kid is stupidly cute too. He is very proud. "We're still unpacking things, sorry. It's a bit messy. And-" He motions for Yuri to come closer, and he obediently does. "This is Yuri." Raiya personally introduced them via e-mail, saying Ryosuke was a friend of a friend, so all the talks about Yamada's salary and rules of the house has been talked about online. Yuto belatedly berates himself for not asking for a picture. He could have been more ready for this.

Yamada just nods and kneels down to be level with Yuri. "Hello," he says. "I'm Ryosuke. I'll be your babysitter from now on."

Yuri smiles brightly and then bows low, like how Raiya taught him. "I'm Nakajima Yuri! 5 years old!" He raises one hand up to show five fingers. "Nice to meet you, Ryo'nii-san!"

_Well_ , Yuto thought.  _This looks like it'll work_.

\- - -

It does work,  _frighteningly so_.

Yuri takes to Yamada like Yamada was the  _best thing ever_ , which is surprising, because Yuto was sure Yuri was bound to have a tantrum sooner or later. Yuri loved his uncle Raiya, his grandparents, and especially his old preschool. He was something of a town sweetheart, there. He simply had to smile to the old woman in the 100 yen shop and he could get free sweets. His classmates used to visit and ask him to join them in playing. He was the darling of their neighborhood. Yuri  _loved_ the attention.

So, Yuto thought it was only a matter of time before Yuri decided to use those big eyes of his to beg for them to go home. Yuto's been preparing for the coming "apocalypse", so to speak.

Except it doesn't come.

It doesn't come, because Yamada Ryosuke is a god-given perfect babysitter, or at least that's what it seems from where Yuto is standing.

"And then, and then, Ryo-chan drew me a picture of  _Arashi_. All five of them! And he let me watch the DVD he bought and  _sang with me_." Yuri glows with happiness. Yuto hasn’t even seen his son this excited other than the time Raiya brought him to a concert and made sure Ohno will shake his hand. "I like Ryo-chan," he decides, nodding before putting a large spoonful of mashed potato in his mouth. He chews while looking thoughtful, eyes never leaving Yuto's face. "We should keep him."

Yuto blinks. "What was that?"

Yuri scrunches his nose cutely, like he is disgusted or disappointed. "I  _said,_ " he says louder and with an impatient tone. "I like Ryo-chan. We should keep him."

"Son," Yuto starts, leaning forward. "You can't just 'keep' a person. They're not toys."

"I  _know_ that." Yuri sounds too exasperated for a 5 years old child talking to his dad. "But you like him too, so you could just ask him if we can keep him."

"I like- What?!" Yuto splutters, jerking away like he was punched. "I don't-!"

Yuri  _giggles_. He's really annoyingly cute, and Yuto is both thankful for this blessing and fearful that this was given to him. "Papa," he says in a chiding tone he probably heard from the neighborhood aunties. "You  _like_ him. You were _staring_. And staring is only okay if you're looking at the person you like! You said so!"

When did he even say that?! _Past Yuto, you have failed this family_. He groans and shakes his head. "I wasn't staring," he explained slowly. "I'm just really happy you get along well with your babysitter." He reaches forward to ruffle his hair. "You've been such a good boy."

Yuri's eyebrows furrow and he pouts, ignoring the praise completely and focusing on the first part of Yuto's statement. He hates being wrong. "But that first day! When you opened the door!"

_Oh. That_. Yuto hopes he's not blushing. "I was just surprised, that's all." How weird is it that he's talking about this to his 5 years old son? Very weird.

Yuri looks like he doesn't believe anything Yuto is saying, but he sighs in that long-suffering way a child his age shouldn't be doing. "Okay," he concedes. He chews quietly for a few minutes. Then, when Yuto thought the conversation was over, he adds, "I still think we should keep him." And then he launches to a story about a certain Hikari-chan who had the  _coolest_ waterguns, as if the whole Yamada conversation didn't happen.

\- - -

For a few days, Yuto savored the quiet. Yuri didn't mention that conversation again, and Yamada showed no signs of hearing anything about it either. All was good.

They form a routine. Yuto and Yuri eats breakfast together, and walks to Yuri's preschool. It is just a ten minute walk from their house, and on the way to the train station, which is the exact reason Yuto chose it. Yuri stays in the preschool until lunch, and by dismissal time, Yamada fetches him and walks him home, where they would play until Yuto comes home for dinner. Yuto often asks Yamada to stay, to eat dinner with them since he's sure Yamada is tired and hungry by that time. At first, Yamada declined politely, being too embarrassed to eat with his employer. Yuri always got what he wanted, though, and this was no exception.

Two weeks into their new arrangement, Yamada stays over for dinner almost three times a week.

Yuto wants to say he has gotten over his initial attraction to the babysitter and is not at all crushing on him, but that would be a lie.

\- - -

It all changes the day he decides to go home early. He's just gotten a new company to sign a contract with their bank and he's done for the day, so he thought he should spend some time with his son. Maybe eat out, ask Yamada if he wanted to join them outside. Something like that.

The moment he opens the door though, he hears voices in the direction of Yuri's room. Not  _speaking_ voices, but  _singing_. And by the sound of it, there might also be  _dancing_ involved. He closes the door behind him quietly and tiptoes inside the house, careful not to alert them of his presence. If this was Yamada singing and dancing, he wanted to see it.

Once he got to the door, he hears a beautiful voice singing Arashi's _Love So Sweet_. He pushes the door slightly to peek inside, only to see Yamada and his son wearing glittery jackets like the ones Arashi wears, with both of them holding toy microphones and dancing in front of a camera perched on the table. There is a _video_   _camera,_  a good one and not just some old family recorder.

When the song ends, Yamada waves a hand to the camera. Yuto cannot see his expression from here, but he is sure he's smiling that bright smile he gives when he's tired but happy, the 200 watt smile on his lips while sweat glistened on his forehead like a  _movie star_ of some kind. Yuto could see Yuri's side from here, and he has the same kind of smile, the same kind of breathless happiness in him. Yuto wants to step inside and take a picture, honestly. But there's already a  _camera_ and Yuto really needs to find out  _why_ they're filming.

"That was  _Love So Sweet_ by Arashi-san. Lots of you asked for this song, so I was planning my video when Yuri-chan asked me if he could join. Isn't he the cutest?"

Yuri preens at the compliment, bouncing on his heels. Yuto thinks he looks 100x cuter, which is unfair because he should be  _cutest_ in front of his dad.

"So, yeah. We're gonna ask for his dad's permission to show off his talent to the world, so if this goes online, that means we can do more. You should comment down there what you want us to sing next." He points to the camera, and Yuri imitates him. And then both of them wink. Yuto  _wants_ this video so badly. He wants to show it off to his parents and his brother and to the whole town. He wants to pay the local theater to play it for a weekend. They are just so freaking adorable. "A helpful tip: Yuri-chan is an Arashi fan, okay?" He looks down at Yuri and Yuto can see his fond smile. Yuto's heart aches at the sight. "Right?"

"Yes!" Yuri walks closer to the camera, tilts his head to the right in a move that looks innocent but Yuto has seen enough times to know that it's calculated. He presses his hands together in a plea and looks at the camera. "I can dance and sing any Arashi song! I promise! I'll practice reaaallly hard. So please?"

Yamada chuckles in amusement. "And cut!"

Yuri turns towards Yamada with a huge grin and his hand raised for a high-five, but he must see Yuto because his eyes suddenly widen and he exclaims, "Papa!" He looks panicked and worried all of a sudden, a far cry from the earlier confidence. Yuto hates that expression. His son is the most confident young boy in all of Japan, and he should always be happy.

"Hey," he says with an encouraging smile. "I kinda..." He rubs a hand on his nape and chuckles. "Heard all of that. It's fine, baby." He walks forward and ruffles his son's hair. "You were so good. You practiced a lot?"

Yuri's expression melted from worry to absolute joy. "Yup!," he answers, nodding enthusiastically. "I practiced hours and hours and hours!" He beams with pride, puffing his chest. "Ryo-chan says I'm a natural!"

Yuto looks at the side to see Yamada watching him with this unreadable look, eyes staring way too intently and lips thinned into a line. He raises an eyebrow in question.

"Uh," Yamada stutters, turning red. "Yeah, I- sorry?"

"No, no! You shouldn't say sorry! You should say ' _Yes, Yuri-chan is perfect'_ , okay?" Yuri pulls at his sleeves and eyes him judgementally.

Yamada laughs in surprise. "Yeah, yeah, Yuri- _sama_ is perfect. He's a natural." He pats Yuri on the head before looking at Yuto in the eye. "I wouldn't post that without your permission, you know that, right? I was going to ask you, Nakajima-san."

"You're going to say yes, right papa?" Yuri puts on the puppy eyes, much more confident now that he's seen Yuto wasn't angry. "It's my  _dream."_

It really is, too. Yuri, ever since he first saw a Music Station Performance by Arashi when he was 3, has been in love with the group. Their songs has been as helpful in teaching him to read as the books at home. Yuri's always been smart (Raiya insists on having him tested for his IQ when he turns 6, because everyone in the family thinks he might be a genius), but when he  _likes_ something? It makes his learning flow so much easier. It's also one of the reasons why he's so athletically good. Yuto has seen him spin so many times and never fall. (It terrifies him, how fast his kid is growing, how good he is at everything he does. Yuto is proud and scared, his default mood when it comes to parenting.)

When Yuri's preschool teachers ask him what he wants to become when he's older, Yuri puffs up his chest and proudly exclaims, _"I'm gonna be an idol!"_

Some would think it's a shame, that it's a waste of such a smart kid, but Yuto just feels proud. His son can be anything he wants, and if he wants to be an idol, Yuto's not gonna be the wall that stops him. Yuto never wants to be an obstacle in front of him, wants to always be the support by his side.

"Of course," Yuto says with a shrug. He hears Yamada sigh in relief, tension going out of his shoulders. "The world deserves to see Yuri's talent."

Yuri smiles that huge happy smile that looks cutest on his face, and when Yuto looks to the side, he sees Yamada with a smile that was notches lower, but has a tinge of something warm that makes Yuto smile back helplessly.

\- - -

Yamada explains during dinner later that night that he has a youtube account where he posts videos of him doing various things, like singing or dancing or even cooking. He is fairly famous and has a solid group of followers. He also admits to talking about Yuri in his videos, and mutters that he talked about Yuto a bit too. (It's not a big deal, really, Yamada shouldn't be embarrassed about it. Yuto's just happy they're a part of Yamada's life enough that he talks about them to these followers of his.) "I've been aiming for the entertainment business, ever since high school," he explained, his cheeks red. "That's why I do that." Yuri had grinned and hugged Yamada's arm, exclaiming "We're the same!" (Yuto might need to get his heart checked, because it  _hurts_ to look at too much cuteness.)

\- - -

The video views blow up.

"It's  _amazing_ ," Yamada gushes at Yuto when Yuri was already asleep. He has stayed to talk about the video, and about the consequences it brings, so Yuto really needed to focus enough to hear this. It's his child's future. He shouldn't be letting Yamada's excited smile and sparkling eyes distract him. "It's got 5 times more views than  _any_ of my videos, and the requests keep coming! Yuri-chan is a hit!" He laughs, carefree. "But don't tell him that just yet. He should see it for himself."

Yuto feels pride coursing through his veins. His son was a  _hit_. His own flesh and blood! Loved by everyone! Okay, when it comes to Yuri, it's not really a new thing, but there's something special about knowing random strangers in the internet wants to see of his talent even though they know nothing about him. Yuri's charm reached the  _whole of Japan_. Yuto feels  _more_ than proud. He smiles and says, "Thank you for doing that for him. He'll be really happy."

"I didn't do anything!" Yamada shakes his head, eyes wide. "Your son is ridiculously cute and good at everything he does. He was bound to find the spotlight soon enough."

"You helped, anyway," Yuto shrugs. It is really that easy. Yamada has been a constant stable presence in their new life, a cornerstone even. He helped in more ways than Yuto could count. "Thank you," he says. "For everything you've done." Yuto has never seen his child this happy. He thinks Yamada doesn't understand how important that is to him.

Yamada's cheeks redden in embarrassment. "If anything, I think Yuri's cuteness upped my account's worth," he says, laughing. "I'm very thankful."

"Oh~?" Yuto raises an eyebrow. "That's why you stick around, huh?," he says teasingly.

"No!" Yamada shakes his head immediately, adamant and sincere. "I really adore your son and you're-" He stops, eyes wide. He drops his gaze down to the floor and chews on his lip for a moment. "It's fun playing with him," he finishes lamely. "I like staying here." He takes a deep breath, raises his gaze and adds with a lighthearted tone, "The pay's pretty good, too."

Yuto thinks he could hear what wasn't being said, if he listens hard enough. Instead, he looks at the direction of his son's room and listens to the silence.

\- - -

“I think we should shoot outside,” Yuri says in the middle of dinner, weeks after the first video. They’ve made three so far, and all of them has been hits, too. His child is a _youtube sensation_. Yuto is a bit overwhelmed by it all. "Hikari-chan and Kei-chan wants to join too."

"They should ask their parents first," Yuto reminds him. "You can't just decide things like that."

Yuri looks unimpressed. "Papa, of course I already asked that." He sighs, little shoulders going up and down dramatically. "Ryo-chan, we can, right? We'll be good!"

Yamada looks at Yuto, asking for permission nonverbally, so Yuto nods and shrugs. He has the weekends off so it's fine with him either way as long as Yuri is happy. "If their parents agree, we can," he says carefully. "I can ask Haruna-chan, if you want me to."

"Haruna?" Yuto raises an eyebrow in question. Last he heard from their stories, Kei is being raised by an uncle named Daiki, and Hikaru (though Yuri insists on calling him Hikari) has two dads. No one ever mentioned a Haruna.

"Girlfriend," Yamada answers absentmindedly, his attention focused on cutting the meat into smaller pieces for Yuri. "She was an underclassman in high school."

Yuto blinks, reeling back at the thought. "Y-your-" He stutters, and feels angry at himself for doing so. "Your girlfriend? You never mentioned-"

Yamada's head whips back to look at him, expression weirded out. "What?"

"You said 'girlfriend', didn't you?"

"I meant she was Dai-chan's girlfriend. Inoo-chan's uncle?" Yamada's eyebrows knit in confusion, eyeing Yuto with this expression like he wasn't sure why Yuto's even asking this. He smiles then, a small quiet one seemingly with more meaning charged into it than Yuto could read. "I'd tell you if I had one," he shrugs, staring into Yuto with challenge in his eyes. "A _lover_ , that is."

Yuto looks down and pretends not to understand. Yuri sighs heavily and starts talking about how cool Ohno's new drama is.

\- - -

"Papa," Yuri sits beside him on the couch, cross-legged and facing him instead of the TV. "Lying is bad."

"I know that, baby. I taught you that." Yuto continues watching the cartoon he chose for the day. ( _He's_ the one who insists on watching child-friendly shows, because when Yuri has the remote, it's all-idols-all-the-time, and Yuto worries he'll be too focused on it to never appreciate a good _super sentai_. Kids need to be educated in the intricacies of Japanese culture.)

"If you know it, then you shouldn't lie." Yuri places small hands on Yuto's cheeks, prying to make him look. "I want you to be happy."

Yuto's expression softens and he tugs his son into a hug. "I  _am_ happy."

"You could be  _happier_ ," Yuri insists.

"I'm happy enough to be with you," Yuto says, and leaves it at that.

Yuri makes Yuto practice the whole _Guts!_  performance with him as punishment. _  
_

\- - -

The outdoor shoot was set on a Saturday, after a particularly bad week. Yuto has been knee-deep in paperworks because of the Tax Bureau doing a sudden inspection, and his boss' patience was wearing thin. Everyone in the office tiptoed around and the stress levels were at an all-time high. Worse, Yuri needed some things for his upcoming family day event at school, and Yuto couldn't do any of it, which made Yuri look sad and angry and then throw a tantrum before bed. It was a freaking bad week.

Yuto wakes up to the sudden warmth of sunlight streaming through his window. He opens an eye to peek and sees Yamada wearing an apron, opening the curtain and humming  _Garasu no Shounen_ under his breath.  _Oh,_ he thinks.  _Is this a dream?_

It is a pretty nice dream, really. There's the smell of pancakes in the air, the bed is warm and comfortable, and Yamada looks adorable in his getup.

"Yuto-kun," Yamada calls out as he walks closer. "Yuri-chan is with the others. I've got breakfast ready."

Yuto opens his eyes, blinks a few times, and concludes that this is reality. Because if this was a dream, Yamada walking to his bed won't end with him saying that. "Mmm?," he moans, still unable to speak from the daze he was feeling. "Wha?"

Yamada laughs, prodding him on the arm. "You have to wake up. It's 11 am already."

"What?!" Yuto sits up, and regrets it immediately when he feels a pounding in his head. Ugh. "Hurts..."

The bed dips as Yamada sits on the edge, too close for this early. "Are you alright? You can just sit here. I'll bring you breakfast."

Too early, definitely. It's always too early for this fantasy to come true. "Ugh," he groans, then shakes his head minutely. "No, I can stand. I don't want to be a bother."

Yamada gives him this  _look_ , the one he's been giving him the past weeks, the one that has both fondness and exasperation. "It's not a bother," he says, rolling his eyes. "If you collapse, you're gonna get fired, and then I won't have a salary." He gives Yuto a shit-eating grin.

Yuto playfully shoves his side. "You just like me for my money." He laughs.

"It's true," Yamada says solemnly, and then ruins the effect by laughing out loud and shoving back. "Just sit there, I'll bring you your breakfast."

Yuto nods. "I take my coffee-"

"With lots of sugar and one spoonful of cream, I know," Yamada tosses back with a grin as he walks out of the room.

\- - -

They arrive at the Arioka's at 1 PM, with lots of apologies and a whole tupperware of cookies as bribe for Yuri.

Daiki gives Yuto this assessing look for a moment, then claps a hand on his back, before saying, "So, wanna see pictures of Yamada in his many costumes for his auditions?"

Yamada tries to stop him, but Haruna has a firm grip on his arm and a reminder that the kids need to practice the dance with their  _master_ before the real shoot. Inoo and Yuri pulls at his hand and gives him twin begging looks.

Yuto decides he likes the Arioka Family.

\- - -

One night, Yamada puts Yuri to sleep by singing him _Niji._  Even from where Yuto was standing by the doorway, he feels the emotion in the song. The notes flow so beautifully in the air, making him close his eyes to savor it.

He only opens his eyes when he hears Yamada's footsteps back. "Hey," Yamada greets in a hushed voice. "Long night?"

Yuto has texted Yamada this afternoon that he might need to put Yuri to sleep, because Yuto won't be home until after dinner. "Yeah," he says with a nod. "The bank's been busy with the inspections and the-" He gestures vaguely, encompassing everything. "Yeah," he repeats.

Yamada stands closer and goes on tiptoes, smiling as he ruffles Yuto's hair. "You've worked hard," he says softly. "Good job." He steps back, eyes shining with amusement.

"I'm not Yuri," Yuto mumbles, even when he feels calmer, like the tension in his back is easing from the long day. He turns to the side and walks towards the living room, saying "Want a coffee before you head back?"

"Nah, thanks." Yamada slumps down the couch, sighing.

"Tired?"

Yamada closes his eyes and leans his head on the backrest. "Just a little. Not as much as you." He yawns. "I got a modelling job this weekend," he mentions, seemingly non-sequitir.

"Hm?"

"Just saying," he says, shrugging. "I'll be busy every weekend for a while. Yuri's charm made people realize how charming I am, too, apparently."

"You've always been charming," Yuto says unthinkingly, just laying it out there as fact.

"Yeah, sure, tell that to my new followers who keep on asking for Yuri-chan," Yamada grouches, pouting.

Yuto resists the urge to poke his cheek. "He's a 5 years old kid who can dance and sing better than anyone, of course he gets attention."

"Very good at comforting people, aren't you?" Yamada opens his eyes to glare at him.

"He's my son. It's hard to look at anything but how great he is."

Yamada chuckles, closing his eyes again.

It's quiet for a while, until Yuto can't stop the question he's been dying to ask. "Is it really okay? To continue having Yuri in your videos?"

"I love Yuri-chan," Yamada says, warmth in his tone. "And he enjoys the spotlight more than I do, even. He was born for this, and he knows that. I'm... I'm more than happy to offer him that chance." He smiles then, honest and easy, without any shade of insecurity. "Besides, he did give me more subscribers. And I've got more modelling jobs. Yuri-chan is a blessing."

_He is_ , Yuto thinks. _And so are you_.

\- - -

Everything falls into place before the preschool's family day. Yuri's class is going to perform a short musical and Yuri was chosen as the main character, so he's adamant that everyone he loves be in the school on that day. Sadly, it's a small event and they only had two tickets, one for Yuto and one for Raiya. To be honest, though, Yuto knows Yuri can get more tickets, either from his teacher or his classmates. Yuto  _knows_ how good Yuri's persuasion skills are. He's been at the other end of it for five years now, and yet he's still not immune.

"I think Ryo-chan should come," Yuri says, crossing his arms petulantly. "You're _family_. It's  _family_ _day_."

Yamada smiles fondly and reaches over to ruffle his hair. “It’s for blood relatives, right? It’ll be weird for me to go.”

Yuto thinks it won’t be weird, that it’ll feel _right_ the same way it has felt right whenever Yamada stays to have dinner with them, or go out with them during weekends. It’ll feel just right, just perfect. He doesn’t say it out loud, though. He is deep enough in here as it is, no need to say the words to make it final. He’s not selfish enough to risk what they have, what Yuri has with the two of them right now, for something as unimportant as his own feelings.

“It won’t be weird!,” Yuri exclaims, a shadow of a tantrum appearing in his expression. “You’re _family_.” He frowns, eyebrows furrowing  and lip jutting out in stubbornness. He crosses his arms, and Yuto would laugh at his expression if he wasn’t feeling just as strongly about this subject. “Kei-chan’s Haruna-chan is coming.” He looks at Yamada as if he was betrayed.

Yamada smiles patiently and shakes his head. “Haruna-chan is marrying Kei-chan’s uncle, so they’ll be family soon.”

“Then just marry my dad!” Yuri looks like he’ll cry any minute now. “You like him! He likes you!” He throws his arms down and yeah, that’s a tantrum right there. “Papa!” He looks at Yuto, big fat tears falling from his eyes.

“Baby,” Yuto says softly, standing up and walking around the table to get to him. He pulls Yuri off his chair and holds him in his arms, even though he’s bigger now and doesn’t fit as well as he did before. (Yuto think he’ll always fit here, though, because his arms were made to hold his son up when he’s crying, no matter how big he becomes.) “I told you, didn’t I? You can’t keep people. They’re not toys.”

“But he _is_ family, isn’t he?,” Yuri mumbles into his chest, hands clasped tightly around his neck. “And you _like_ him.” He adds it like an afterthought, but in the most stubborn way he could muster.

Yuto looks over his son’s shoulder at Yamada, who has stood up now too and is looking at him with wide, questioning eyes. “He _is_ ,” he answers, quietly, almost just a whisper to his son. But he could see Yamada’s reaction, the aborted half step forward and the way the question in his eyes turns into hope. Yuto is hit, suddenly, with the realization that he isn’t alone in the feeling, that he hasn’t been alone in the feeling for while now. Yuto knows he's noticed, but has never let himself hope, for his sake and for Yuri’s. It was too good to be true, was his reasoning.

But Yamada has brought so much good in their lives, and this might just be one of them.

“You’re _family_ ,” he says, and it sounds to his ears like _“I love you”_.

It's a start.

\- - -

(Ten years later, Yuto and Yamada watches hand in hand as Yuri smiles and captures the hearts of everyone in Tokyo Dome.)

**Author's Note:**

> please imagine Yamada's distress at seeing the door open and finding out his employer is Hot Dad Nakajima Yuto wearing a suit. Just. Imagine that.
> 
> also Yamada became a professional youtuber and Yuri's talent manager, if you're wondering.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~I'm like, 30 words away from 5k. Amazing. " _Safeeee_ "~~


End file.
